Planning permission for almost 900 apartments on the site of the old Dundrum shopping centre in Dublin has been refused following a long-running battle and hundreds of objections from locals.
Plans for the €466 million scheme were lodged in April 2022 by a subsidiary of British property group Hammerson, which co-owns Dundrum Town Centre and this site with German insurance group Allianz.
The group proposed to build 881 mostly one- and two-bedroom apartments across 11 apartment blocks, including a 16-storey “landmark” building at the northernmost point of the site.
The proposal also included plans for 10 retail units, a food store, four cafe/restaurants, and a creche, as well as a new public open space, to be known as Church Square, to the rear of Holy Cross Church.
However, following almost three years of deliberations and upwards of 700 objections, An Bord Pleanála has rejected the plans after raising concerns around its architectural impact, flooding, and living conditions for future occupiers.
There were objections from eight residents’ associations and at least one primary school against the plans, which were lodged under the Strategic Housing Development scheme.
Underlining the depth of local feeling against the proposal, local residents variously described it as “appalling”, “destructive”, “a visual catastrophe”, “a vertical sprawl”, “an eyesore”, “a concrete jungle”, “monstrous” and “a developer’s dream”.
In its ruling, the board said the proposed development would “seriously detract from the architectural character of the area”, particularly citing Main Street, as well as Holy Cross Church and the associated parochial house, gates, and railings.
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“Having regard to the excessive density, height and scale, together with its monolithic appearance, it is considered that the proposed development would result in unacceptable, overbearing impacts for properties in the residential area to the west of the site,” it said.
“The proposed development would also result in excessive overlooking for existing adjoining properties along the west side of Main Street.”
About 90 per cent of the apartments were to be one or two-bedroom units, while the remainder were to be three-bedroom homes.
An Bord Pleanála said the proposed scheme represented “a substandard form of development” for future occupiers, and said the “excessive proportion” of smaller residential units would contravene local authority development plans.
“Having regard to the nature, design and layout of the proposed scheme, it is considered that the scheme would represent, in a substandard form of development and residential amenity for future occupiers,” the ruling said.
“The excessive proportion of smaller residential units would materially contravene the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County development Plan 2022-2028.”
An Bord Pleanála further established that the proposed development was in an area which is “deemed to be at risk of flooding”.
“The board is not satisfied on the basis of the information lodged with the planning application and the absence of detailed hydraulic modelling that the proposed development would not give rise to an increased risk of flooding either on the proposed development site itself or on other lands,” it said.
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